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Acquired
RSL: Via trade with FC Dallas in exchange for future considerations on 11/17/04DAL: Selected in the fifth round (43rd overall) of the 1996 MLS Draft on 02/06/96
Biography
How it all came to be…MLS' All-Time Leading Scorer, Jason Kreis, was the first player selected by RSL on November 17, 2004 to help kick off the new MLS team's debut season. Kreis, a ten-year MLS veteran, was acquired from FC Dallas in exchange for future considerations. From Omaha, Neb., Kreis was the first American-born player in MLS history to earn MVP honors. He leads MLS all-time in goals (100) and game-winning goals (30), and ranks among the top five MLS career leaders in games (271), starts (251), minutes (22,450), points (269), shots (751) and shots on goal (344). Kreis spent the first nine years of his MLS career with the Dallas Burn, where he became the League's All-Time Leading Scorer with 89 career goals in 2004, surpassing the record previously set by Roy Lassiter. Kreis' premier goal-scoring campaign for the Burn was in 1999, when he found the back of the net 18 times en route to capturing the Honda MLS Most Valuable Player Award. On June 26, 2004, Kreis scored his 89th career goal during the first half of a 1-1 draw with D.C. United to surpass Roy Lassiter and become the "King of Goals" in Major League Soccer. Kreis, a three-time All-American college player at Duke University, found the back of the net twice more in limited duty for Dallas to finish the 2004 MLS season with 91 career goals. On August 13, 2005, Kreis became the first-ever Major League Soccer player to break the 100 career-goal threshold, scoring in the 72nd-minute in Real Salt Lake's 4-2 home loss to the Kansas City Wizards. "This is probably the most bittersweet moment of my life," said Kreis following the game. "It has to be one of the best goals that I have ever taken in this League. I am proud of this one, but I am extremely disappointed in our result tonight." In the 72nd minute, Kreis collected a header from Dante Washington in the top corner of the box and rocked a left-footed volley into the upper 90. "When I got No. 89 to break Roy Lassiter's record, I said I would be more proud of 100," remembers Kreis, whose nine goals in the 2005 season represents the third-highest total in MLS. "I wasn't sure why, but now I finally figured out what 100 means to me: it means 10 goals a year over 10 years, and that's a pretty decent career…Now I would like to shoot for a 150 goals, meaning five more years of 10 goals a season." After developing a partial tear his left knee's ACL early in September 2005, Kreis was placed on the season-ending injury reserve list. He spent the remainder of the season rebuilding his physical condition for 2006. He says playing for RSL is second to none. "It is apparent to me that we have coaches, players, and a staff that is completely dedicated to that end. We have a community that is extremely passionate about the game and undying in their support of our team. I really do think this is a great place to play!" Coach Ellinger's call…
"I can't say enough good things about Jason. Jason is a great leader. He is our leading scorer. He is somebody who, no question when we lost him [to injury], we lost of our team fighting spirit. He kept us going when we needed it the most. He still has a lot of soccer left in him. We are very happy that it worked out for us that Jason became our first player."
MLS Experience
2005: Was the 2005 Real Salt Lake team captain … Played in 24 games, 24 starts…Added nine goals and four assists…Scored the first goal in RSL's franchise history in a 3-1 loss against LA on 04/09…Picked up goal No. 95 in the 2-1 win on 05/14 vs. LA scoring the game-winning goal…Achieved goal No. 98 on a penalty kick in the 2-1 win on 08/06 against CHV… Scored career goal No. 99 off a free kick in the 4-1 loss on 8/10 against NE…Tallied first hat trick of the season at the U.S. Open Cup with goals in the 9th, 50th and 70th minutes…Notched his 100th goal on 8/13 vs. KC…First player to reach 100 goals in MLS history…Placed on the season-ending injury reserve list due to a partial tear of his left knee's Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) on Sept. 14 forcing him to miss the remaining eight regular season games.2004: Became the League's all-time leading goal scorer with a tally in the 37th minute vs. DC on 6/26, his third consecutive match to find the back of the net… Scored his first goal of the year vs. NE (6/12)…Started his first match of 2004, playing 90 minutes @ LA (5/29).
2003: Finished the season #2 all-time in league history in scoring with 235 points, just two goals shy of tying the all-time league goal-scoring record of 88…Suffered a torn ACL and a tear of the lateral meniscus in his left knee on August 13 and was lost for the rest of the season…At the time of the injury, was leading the team in goals with seven and points with 16…Was named the team's MVP for the sixth time…Also named a reserve for the MLS All-Star game but missed the game due to knee injury…Became only the third player in league history to amass 80 career goals with a strike vs. NE (4/26). 2002: For the fifth time in seven years, led the team in scoring with 30 points…Ttied for third in the league with five game-winning goals…Played 45 minutes in the MLS All-Star game, scoring one goal and assisting on the game-winner…Became the second player in league history to record 60 goals and 60…Scored for a team record-tying fifth straight game and added an assist @ MET (5/4) and was named Player of the Week following that performance…Became only the third player in league history to amass 200 career points with three points @ MET (5/4). 2001: Finished the 2001 season second on the team in points with 24…Became only the second player in league history to amass 50 goals and 50 assists with an assist @ NY/NJ (4/28)…Played in 25 of 26 games on the year, missing only the 4/14 match @ SJ after suffering a hyper-extended right knee vs. Tampa Bay in the season opener…Was named a starter for the 2001 MLS All-Star Game but did not play due to an ankle injury. 2000: Was the team's leading scorer with 11 goals and 13 assists for 35 points…Was named a reserve for the MLS All-Star game and saw 45 minutes of action…Netted four game-winning goals…Set a Burn record by registering a point in seven consecutive games (4/29-6/17) and tied a Burn record by scoring a goal in five consecutive games (5/13-6/17)…Became the fourth player in league history to register 50 career goals with the game-winner vs. Tampa Bay (4/1). 1999: Was voted MLS Most Valuable Player in '99 and also captured the league's scoring title with 18 goals and 15 assists for 51 points…Set Burn records on most goals, assists, and points in a season…Became the first player in league history to register 15 goals and 15…Was named MLS Player of the Week a league record six times and was also named Player of the Month for June after striking for three goals and five assists in five games…Registered a team-record seven game-winning assists on the year and tied his own team record with six game-winning goals…Awarded three goals and one assist in Dallas' 4-0 win over KC (3/20)…The seven points set a Burn record for points in a game, earning him Player of the Week honors. 1998: Led the team in goals (nine), assists (eight) and total points (26)…Finished the season tied for the league-lead in game-winning goals with six, which was also a Burn record…Tallied the game-winning goal in Dallas' 1-0, playoff clinching victory @ KC (9/19). 1997: Finished the season third on the team in points with 22 (eight goals, six assists)…Was the only Burn player to appear in all 32 regular season games…Scored the game-winning goal at New York (9/16)…Scored two goals and assisted on the game-winner vs. Colorado (8/31). 1996: : Led the team in goals (13) and points (31)...Finished the season tied for seventh in the league in goals and tied for ninth in points...Dallas was 11-0 in games in which he scored a goal...Was named the MLS Player of the Month for July after scoring five goals in the month and leading the Burn to a 5-2 record...Scored the first goal in team history on April 18 vs. Kansas City...Was named a starter for the 1996 MLS All-Star Game and netting a goal in the game.
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